


I'm Alone, But I'm Not Lonely

by femfetale



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Arranged Marriage, Daydreaming, F/M, Flirting, Loneliness, Mutual Pining, Running Away, Uchiha Izuna Lives, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:49:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29915091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/femfetale/pseuds/femfetale
Summary: You were happy on your own. You didn't need anyone else. Izuna's appearance in your life was nothing more special than anyone else's... right?
Relationships: Uchiha Izuna/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	I'm Alone, But I'm Not Lonely

If there was one thing you weren’t expecting, it was to have the infamous Uchiha brothers at the door of the inn you worked at.

They had appeared out of thin air, one of them almost entirely supporting the other. Madara and Izuna, you knew their names like the back of your hand. They were easily some of the most discussed people at your inn; you couldn’t think of many people that were talked about more than the pair that entered the door.

“Medic!” The man you recognized as Madara called out, causing several people inside to run and either hide or go and grab said medic, who you knew would help Izuna, the other brother, the best she could. She was quite skilled, and while she was no shinobi like the two newcomers, you had faith that she would heal the younger of the two enough that he would live. You didn’t know what happened, but knowing that they were Uchiha and knowing that the Uchiha were currently at war with the Senju, you had your guesses.

“[Y/N], go and fix a room for them, why don’t you?” The innkeeper called out, staring at you as if to say that it wasn’t a question. Understanding immediately, you ducked off to make a room for them, one with two beds, despite not knowing if Madara would be getting any sleep that night due to worrying about his brother.

When you were done fixing up a room for the pair, they were no longer present in the lobby. One of the other inn workers informed you that they were waiting for you to guide them to their room, which you nodded at and went off to the infirmary to introduce yourself to the brothers.

Or,  _ brother,  _ rather. Izuna was unconscious, Madara carrying him in his arms despite the medics’ protest, insisting that they could take him, but Madara refused. He was wearing no shirt, a bandage evident on his torso, an obvious remark that that was where the wound was. The injury that had them arrive here at this inn in the first place, something you didn’t know the reason for, either. Why hadn’t they gone to their own home? Surely they had medics that could restore Izuna to health, no?

With a sigh, you turned to Madara. “My name is [Y/N]. I’m here to take you to your room. Please, follow me.”

The only thing you heard from Madara’s mouth was, “I don’t need a damn guide,” but other than that, he didn’t protest, allowing you to lead him to the room where he and Izuna would be staying in.

“This is your room; please let someone at the front desk know if you have any questions or concerns, and one of the inn workers will be at your service.”

You heard the clearing of a throat and then a voice you hadn’t heard before, which meant that Izuna was the speaker this time. “Yeah, can I have  _ you _ as a service?  _ Forever?” _

You felt your face turn hot at his remark, looking at him with a look of pure embarrassment. “E- excuse me? Did you just-”

Madara groaned, rolling his eyes. “Ignore him. He’s not in the best state right now. I’d be angrier, but right now, I’m just grateful he’s alive. Leave us.”

You nodded, leaving the room and shutting the door behind you.

As Izuna regained his strength, the flirtatious remarks only increased, along with Madara’s annoyance. The first thing he had said when you brought them their room service the following evening was, “can I get another room? Yours, perhaps?”

You had simply nodded at them and shut the door, not even staying to take the tip Madara had tried to give you.

It wasn’t that you didn’t like the compliments or that you didn’t find Izuna attractive. Both of those statements were far from the truth. But you were an inn worker, and he was a shinobi, one death away from being the head of the Uchiha clan. You’d never see him once he left when he was fully healed. Or a few days after, if they insisted.

You weren’t all that surprised when you came to clean their beds for housekeeping duties, and Izuna answered the door, kissing your hand. Madara, enraged as he was, gave you a less affectionate greeting, a nod of acknowledgement as he practically dragged his brother off his knee he had placed his weight on when he kissed your hand. You paid no mind to the lecturing yells that Madara gave his brother; it had been a few days, and you were relatively used to it by now.

“Izuna, you can’t go and kiss that woman’s hand! You don’t know her; we’re only staying here for a week! You’ll never see her again after this!”

Izuna shrugged. “Doesn’t matter, not really. She’s attractive.”

Madara only sighed and stared out the window as you finished your duties and left.

One day when you arrived at their room, Madara wasn’t there.

The look of curiosity was evident on your face because Izuna answered the question you hadn’t even asked. “My brother’s with the Senju. He’ll be back by nightfall. Stay awhile, why don’t you? I want to get to know you.”

You shook your head. “I can’t. I have a job, and I can’t afford to lose it.”

“You’re too pretty to have a job,” he replied with what you guessed was a compliment. It wasn’t his best, but you supposed that in the end, that didn’t matter.

“That is certainly not the truth. I put effort into my skills, not looking pretty.”

“Maybe if you try harder, you can be both, like me.”

You laughed, raising your eyebrow. “Is that supposed to imply that you have skills other than being carried in here by your brother and flirting? I’ll believe it when I see it.”

The jab at his injuries seemed to go unnoticed as he replied with just as much fire. “And is  _ that  _ supposed to imply that you think I’m attractive  _ and  _ that I’m skilled in flirting?”

“I will neither confirm nor deny.” And with that, you shut the door, leaving the work unattended to, and while Izuna  _ could  _ call in and complain, he didn’t feel like it, much to Madara’s surprise when he arrived that night and commented on the mess in the house. Izuna told him not to worry, though, so he didn’t.

When the brothers were packing up their things to go, you knocked on their door, entering after you heard the “come in.”

You placed a medical kit on one of the beds, not knowing or caring which brother slept in it. “A medical kit for the wound on your chest,” you gestured to Izuna. “I’m guessing that you, Madara, know how to take care of a wound such as hs, so we will give no further instructions.”

Madara nodded, taking the kit from the bed. “Thank you for your services, [Y/N]. We will remember them in the future.”

You laughed bashfully, giving the brothers a small smile. “It’s no problem. I’m just doing my job.”

And that was the last time you ever saw the Uchiha brothers.

Or so you thought.

A few months later, a new village had been established; Konohagakure. You had thought little of it until you heard the name of one of the founders,  _ Madara Uchiha.  _ One of the brothers you had hosted at the inn you worked at.

The inn you  _ used  _ to work at. Much to your chagrin, your family had found you, despite leaving no possible traces that you both lived and worked here. They had taken you back to the place you grew up in, leaving you locked away in their large and riches-infested house.

You silently cursed yourself as you were brought back from your daydream by your father calling you. Briefly, in the past, you had wondered if the Uchiha brothers had been involved in your family relocating you after you had run away, sick of the rich life.

You left your room, walking over to your parents with as little emotion on your face as possible, which proved to be difficult when the younger brothers were standing in between them.

“This is Izuna Uchiha,” your mother began, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. “He’s going to be your guard. We’ve been holding…  _ auditions,  _ so to speak, for a guard to accompany you to make sure you don’t sneak off again, and he proved to be the most efficient worker for the job. Show him to your room.”

Déjà vu crawled up your spine at the words your mother had chosen, leading Izuna to the room you stayed in. When you were both behind the closed door that shut you away from the rest of your house, your emotionless expression shifted to one of anger.

“How the  _ fuck _ are you here?” You glared, hands on your hips.

“I should be asking the same question!” Izuna exclaimed, outstretching his hands to express his confusion further. “The Hokage signed me up to guard the daughter of some nobles, not the girl from the inn!”

“I  _ am  _ the girl from the inn, and I am  _ also  _ the daughter of nobles,” you spat, looking him directly in the eye. “Why do you think I never uttered a word about who I was? Why I refused your offer to tell me about myself? I still don’t know if it was you or your brother’s fault that I got discovered by my parents! I ‘snuck away’ for a damn reason! We either pretend we don’t know each other, or you go down to my parents and tell them you can’t accept this job.”

“No! This gives good pay. Are you crazy? That’s the only reason why I signed up for this!”

“Then this is the first time we’ve met,” you replied flatly, opening the door to your room. “I’ll see you when it’s the second time.”

The second time came sooner than you would’ve liked it to. It turns out, Izuna wasn’t just your guard; he was your  _ personal  _ guard. It was rare when you weren’t within ten feet of each other, and when it was, you were attending to hygiene issues or sleeping. It wasn’t as if you had friends, but even if you did, you weren’t sure he’d be apart from you  _ then,  _ either.

Which, to your shock, proved to be less anger-inducing than you thought it to be. When he wasn’t flirting, Izuna proved to be surprisingly good company. He told you stories of his childhood, of his brothers, who had all died before the two of you had met, which explained why Madara was Izuna’s only company during their stay at the inn. 

He also explained that Madara informed the Senju, particularly brothers Hashirama and Tobirama, of their thoughts of an alliance. The elder of the pair had taken to healing Izuna for about a minute before Senju soldiers arrived at the scene, and the Uchiha brothers were forced to flee, which they did by teleportation. 

In return, you told him of your childhood. Your parents were nobles, as previously mentioned, but they were  _ insufferable.  _ They wanted you to be just like your mother, a housewife with no job other than lounging around all day since they were rich enough to hire someone to care for the children. You hadn’t wanted that. You wanted a job, and after a serious argument with your parents, you ran away, had run until you came across an inn whose keeper had promised you an income and shelter if you worked there. You accepted, working there for about six years until your parents had found you.

After further thought, you realized that your parents most likely found you by pure luck. It had been over half a decade; they had probably looked almost everywhere else you could be. Sure, they had informants, but if Izuna had no idea that you were the daughter he was guarding, then he didn’t have anything to do with it. Izuna was many things, but he was not a liar.

As you and Izuna grew closer, the flirtatious remarks had started back up again. Much to your relief, however, they weren’t when your parents or anyone else would be able to hear. And if it was, it was a whisper in your ear, and sometimes, more times than you’d like to admit, those whispers sent a shiver down your spine. You often found yourself lying awake at night, imagining that voice whispering words into your ear as you both lay in bed, the  _ same _ bed, which at first had halted your thoughts completely. Still, as you continued to think of it, the more you grew used to the scenarios you imagined.

Not long after, you had discovered you had fallen for Izuna.

Which was fine until it wasn’t. A few months back, Izuna had asked why you never opened up to anyone, a fact you had told him one night when you both couldn’t sleep.

“I’m alone, but I’m not lonely,” you had responded with a shrug, “to be honest, I don’t know if I’ve ever  _ felt  _ loneliness. Not even when I ran away.”

But now, that had changed.

In just a few hours, Izuna was to be let go from his job as your guard. Your parents wanted you to get married and entrusted your future husband with guarding you, no longer needing Izuna’s services.

You had complained until it hurt, but nothing changed your parent’s minds. You were getting married, and that was final.

And Izuna had no say in the matter. Or so they thought.

The night before your wedding, you were looking out your window when you felt a tap on your shoulder.

“Izuna? What are you-”

“Ssh, I haven’t got much time. Do you want to get married to that man or not?”

“Oh, heaven’s no,” you laughed, waving nd in dismissal. “He’s  _ terrible;  _ you’ve met him. Would  _ you  _ want to marry him?”

Izuna shook his head. “Look, I know you prefer to be alone, but come with me. Live in Konoha, meet Hashirama and Tobirama. They’re actually not as insufferable as I thought them to be when I forget they’re Senju.”

You stared at him incredulously. “Izuna, I- I don’t know what to say!”

“Say yes, say you’ll run away with me.”  _ That you’ll be my lover rather than the woman I guard,  _ he voiced in his head, choosing not to say that part out loud.

With a smile, you nodded. “Yes, I’ll run away with you. On one condition.”

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

“Make sure I’m never lonely again. You’ve invoked something in me, Uchiha. Loneliness is only one of those emotions. Now get me out of here, damn it!”

Izuna didn’t need to be told twice.


End file.
